Blood is Skin Deep
by purplepidgioncommandbase
Summary: Nick's life had already been complicated enough with the revelation that he was from a long line of Grimms but just as he was starting to get a handle on the new life he found himself leading a new case hits his desk. Soon he is digging up secrets that he didn't know COULD exist and he finds himself running from a life that he is terrified of. Darkness is coming to Portland. AU
1. Blood in the rain

**Hey, this is my first GRIMM story and I am very excited about it. Recently I said goodbye to one of my favorite shows because it pissed me off *cough* Once upon a time *cough* anyway I've loved GRIMM from the start and have been dying to write a fanfiction story for the show and here it is.**

**BTW this story may develop into SLASH meaning malexmale love so if you aren't into that I would be wary. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own GRIMM, any of its characters, dialogue etc. I am merely borrowing them to create this awesome story for you all. **

**Enjoy! **

Nick collapsed against the tree, his hand pressing hard against his profusely bleeding side. His vision was beginning to swim and each breath he took was difficult and energy sapping.

Rain showered down from the heavens above, the clouds dark and rumbling with thunder and lightning that crackled in the night sky.

The forest floor was quickly turning to mud and seeping into Nick's clothing, making his body tremble and icy tendrils to wipe out the warmth that his body had been trying to salvage. His clothes were soaked and clinging to him like a second skin, the feeling reminiscent of a boa constrictor trying to crush its prey.

With water trickling into his eyes and mouth he looked up into the night sky. A full moon was out tonight, spotlighting him like he was the star in a tragic play, it figures that his death would be on full display.

Looking back down he tried to focus his rapidly fogging vision to his wounded side. His movements were sluggish as he slowly pulled his hand away and squinted to try and make out the damage that had been done.

It was bad. No worse than bad, it was fatal.

Even with his clouding vision he could see that blood was continuing to pump out of him like he was some sort of fountain and the wound was deep, so deep that he swore he could see exposed tendons.

Self-preservation kicking in, he clasped the wound once more, hissing in pain only momentarily before numbness kicked in, which he knew was a very bad, bad thing.

Fighting through the nausea and lightheadedness he used the trunk he was sitting against to pull himself up and pushed himself forward.

He had to keep moving.

Stopping meant death.

Needed to find help.

A chilling cackle ripped through the air.

He stopped dead in his tracks. They were coming for him.

Forcing his feet to move he ran as fast as he could, branches whipping him in the face and rain bouncing off his chilled skin until finally he could see a road up ahead.

Salvation.

Help.

Adrenaline kicking in he took a few more steps but was blindsided by a branch coming out of nowhere and ramming into his stomach.

All the wind was knocked out of him as he was thrown back onto the cold muddy ground.

His beaten, distressed, _dying_ body was starting to shut down on him.

Before he lost consciousness a clouded form came into his darkening line of sight.

"You can never escape us Nick, we'll always find you."

Then he was swallowed by the darkness. No longer able to defend himself against what was coming.

**A/N: I know it's short and out of nowhere, but I hope you review because this story is going to be EPIC. Once again, please review!**


	2. All is not what it may seem

**Hi, I know it has been a bit since I last updated but I'm back. Also, I purposely left out translations in this chapter so as to be interpreted later on. **

Nick's vision began to swim as he finished up his last report by signing his signature at the bottom. Dropping his pen he leaned back in his chair and rubbed his eyes, trying to ease the headache that was blooming.

It was nearing midnight and the police station was almost completely empty, only a few other police officers and detectives were still in the building, like them, filling out reports. The room for the most part was silent, the only sounds being the scratching of pens on paper and the occasional cough.

Crime had been hectic in The City of Roses, a new crime almost every hour of every day. It was like Loki the God of mischief and chaos had sent out a mass email/text to every criminal in town that that week was a free for all.

Hank and him had been going from case to case and had only been lucky to catch a few cat naps before having to get back into crime solving mode.

Lowering his hand he looked over at his partner, Hank Griffin, who was still plodding through the report in front of him, and he still had two more to be completed.

"Done, finally" Nick announced, sighing in relief.

Hank grunted and set his own pen down, flexing his aching hand.

"You know, it feels like it takes longer to fill these out then it does to solve the actual crime. I think as part of the perp.'s sentence they should have to fill out these reports" Hank declared, looking over at Nick.

Nick chuckled, "I think that might be a good reform system too"

Both shared a short laugh then quieted down. Nick rose from his chair and slipped into jacket, picking up his phone, badge and gun as he went.

"I'm going to head out, see you tomorrow" Nick said, zipping his jacket up.

Hank grunted in acknowledgment as he picked his pen back up and went back to filling out his remaining reports.

Exiting the station Nick jogged down the steps towards his SUV parked across the street, his keys in hand and his focus on getting home and crawling into bed with Juliet.

Stepping down the last step he walked over to his SUV and just as he had pushed the key into the keyhole he paused, the hair on his neck standing on end.

He was being watched.

Moving as subtly as possible he slowly placed his hand on his service weapon and in one fluid motion whipped around, gun in hand, and was met….

With nothing.

Looking around, down the street, along the building and along the sidewalks he came up empty.

Still feeling on edge, probably his Grimm and detective instincts meshing, he stepped out into the middle of the road to do one last survey of the area. He was still feeling that uncomfortable prodding of being observed, and it was biting into his core like a needle full of anthrax.

The honking of a car jolted him out of his mind and he stepped back, waving in apology to the driver who scowled at him as they drove by.

Going back to his SUV he pushed the key into the keyhole and opened the door, then pulled the key out and got inside, slamming the door shut beside him.

Putting the feeling down to stress and lack of sleep he brought his SUV to life and pulled away from the curb, buckling in as he did.

As he drove away a figure dressed all in black stepped out from the shadows of the trees, watching the SUV getting further and further away.

~Break~

Martin "Moe" James Fitzgerald was just about to close his eyes when the creaking of floorboards reached his ears. When no other sound followed he was about to put it down as the small building settling when the floorboards creaked once more, this time followed by a distinct thud.

Now alert he rose from his bed and grabbed his cellphone off his bedside table, along with the aluminum bat he kept by the door.

Taking a deep breath he raised his bat and walked out into the short hallway that led out to his shop. As he walked his fingers dialed 911, bringing the phone up to his ear he waited until the operator picked up.

"911 emergencies-"

"Yes, this is Martin Fitzgerald, I-" before he could get another word out he was assaulted from behind and shoved into the wall, his phone and bat clattering to the floor while plaster shroomed around them from the sheer force behind the blow.

Upon impact into the wall he could feel his teeth sink down into his lip and blood filling his mouth and flowing down his chin along with a cut that dripped blood into his right eye.

Before he could recover he was suddenly thrown into his shop where he collided with a bookshelf and fell to the floor, books collapsing on and around him along with wood that had cracked after falling to the floor.

Coughing and groaning in pain he turned his head and watched as his assailant approached him. He tried to move but every part of his body was on fire and looking down at his legs he saw that one of his other book displays had fallen and was crushing his legs, preventing him from getting up.

"Please, please don't do this, you can take whatever you want, I won't call the police I swear! Just please don't hurt me anymore" he whimpered, his face transforming into something that resembled a groundhog.

The assailant didn't speak, instead just dropped to their knees in front of him and produced an ax from a black bag that was hanging by their waist.

The blade of the ax shined from the moon that was glowing from the window.

Moving the ax forward the assailant tormented him by running the blade along his cheek and throat, not applying enough pressure to draw blood but enough to incite fear in him.

"Please" he begged one last time, praying that they would gained some kind of conscious and decide not to do this, but he knew that that wasn't going to happen.

He could feel death grabbing onto his soul and his life started to flash before his eyes.

Gripping tightly to the hilt the assailant gripped the hairs at the top of his hair then pulled back and rammed the sharpened blade into his neck. Arterial spray shot forth into the face of his killer and gushed down onto his clothes and the floor around them.

Martin 'Moe' James Fitzgerald was dead from the first blow. His mind had shut down like a string of Christmas lights being over powered and popping in an accelerated fashion until all that made him who he was, was gone and leaving behind only a bloody, horrifyingly disfigured shell.

Taking out a rag the assailant wiped the blood off the ax and placed the ax and rag back into their bag. Then, reaching out they smeared their hand with their victim's blood and rose from the floor and walked over to a clear wall.

Using the blood they wrote out:

"_Toate nu este ceea ce pare, pentru profunzime interior este o fiara." _

Wiping the remaining blood off on their coat they then looked back over at the dead Gräber then just as they were getting ready to leave a pair of headlights illuminated the store as a car pulled up to the shop.

Thinking quickly the assailant turned and ran down the short hallway then fled out the back door of the shop.

When they were halfway way down the alley that was behind the shop a loud, horrifying scream echoed through the night.

Adapting a cool, indifferent walk the assailant walked around the corner and disappeared into the night.

~Break~

The ringing of his cellphone roused Nick from his sleep and he blindly bumped his hand around the items on his nightstand until he found the phone and brought the device to his ear, his fingers reflexively answering the call.

"Burkhardt" he grunted, his mind still foggy with sleep.

"Morning sunshine, its Wu, we got a 187 at Moe's Bookshop and your presence is needed" Wu chirped.

Sighing Nick sat up in bed and placed his feet down on the cold wooden floor. "Okay, I'll be there in about twenty minutes"

"Do you need the address?"

"No, I know where it is, see you in a bit"

"See ya"

Both hung up and Nick rubbed the sleep from his eyes then rose from the bed, doing his best not to wake Juliet as he walked to the dresser.

Unfortunately one of the floorboards squeaked under his foot and woke Juliet from her sleep.

"Nick?" she asked, reaching over and turning on her bedside lamp.

Seeing that his attempt at being quiet had failed Nick put his plans of getting dressed on hold and walked over to Juliet who was staring over at him with sleep clouded eyes.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. I have a case, so I have to go. I'll see you when I get home" leaning down he pressed his lips against hers then pulled back.

"Love you" she breathed, her eyes already starting to close as the lure of sleep drew her back in.

"You too" he replied, but she was already asleep so she never heard him.

~Break~

Nick pulled up in front of the scene. Police tape had been strung around the small shop along with an ambulance, three police cars, the Coroner's van and of course there was the group of bystanders who were moving and jumping around, trying to get a glimpse of a body most likely.

Getting out of his car he approached the uniformed police officer and was quickly ushered through once he showed the officer his badge. Stepping under the tape he caught the eyes of Wu and Hank and the pair walked over to meet him.

"Our victim's name is Martin 'Moe' Fitzgerald, 46 years old and the owner of the place. Dispatch reports that Mr. Fitzgerald called the police at exactly 12:21 AM but the call was dropped only a few seconds in. His only employee, Sarah Jones, found him at 12:23 AM and immediately called the police" Wu read from the notepad in his hand.

"Is Sarah Jones still here?" Nick asked, planning on asking her some questions.

"Yeah, she's sitting in the back of the ambulance being treated for shock, did you want to speak to her?" Wu asked, already knowing that they would but needing to ask anyway.

"Not yet, but if she's transferred to the hospital tell us" Nick requested.

"You got it, I'll just stand around out here and get some fresh air" Wu walked away from the pair and over to another officer.

Right before they stepped over the threshold a feeling of malevolence rocked him to the core and instead of feeling fear or disgust towards the presence he actually found himself strangely attracted to it, for whatever reason.

Hank had already entered the shop and accepted a pair of latex gloves from a CSU officer when he noticed that Nick wasn't with him, turning back to the door he was met with Nick standing in the doorway, his eyes blown wide and his body rigid in what he guessed to be shock.

Stepping back over to him he gently spoke his name and touched his arm, stepping back quickly when Nick jumped from the unexpected contact.

Looking around wildly Nick met his gaze and tried to calm his racing heart.

"Are you okay?" he asked, concerned that maybe Nick hadn't gotten enough sleep and his body and mind was rebelling against him.

Nick gave him a shaky smile, that didn't calm him and instead made him more concerned.

"Yeah, I guess just lack of sleep is finally catching up with me is all" he answered, trying to wave off Hank's worries and focus.

They had been friends and partners long enough for Hank to tell when he was being bullshitted, something else was clearly going on and he would get to the bottom of it, but right now they had a crime to investigate and as long as nothing extreme happened he was willing to let it drop until later.

"All right, but if you fall asleep on the job I will not be covering for you nor protecting you from Wu's infamous sharpie collection" he joked, clapping him on the shoulder then accepting another pair of gloves and handing them over to Nick.

Smiling the moment from earlier went to the back of their minds, at least most of it did, and they began their survey of the scene.

The shop was a mess; a row of bookshelves lay cracked and broken on the floor with books scattered around, there was also bits of plaster and glass that littered the floor as well from broken display cases and the obvious holes in the walls.

Being mindful of the CSUs working diligently around them Nick and Hank stepped around the evidence that was on the floor and out of the way of photos that were being shot and over to the body of their victim.

The sight was more than gruesome, it was barbaric; Blood covered the victim from head to toe and the floor around them was painted in the life essence, his legs were being crushed by a glass display that had apparently fallen on him, likely during the attack, and of course the sick-inducing, mind assaulting image of Mr. Fitzgerald's head laying on its side beside the body it had once been attached to, the eyes still open and fogged over in death, the eyes forever frozen in fright as his life was taken away from him.

Looking over at Hank he could see the obvious disgust in his partner's eyes, his thoughts no doubt focusing on all the other gruesome crime scenes he had seen during his time on the force.

Taking a breath Hank met his gaze, "let's get to work."

Nodding in agreement Nick bent down in front of the body and started his examination, looking for anything that could be a clue to whoever had done this. Since he couldn't move the body or else risk contaminating evidence he could only do a quick survey but with all the blood that covered the body finding anything that CSU hadn't already was nearly impossible so he determined that it was best to wait until the body was in the ME's 'office'.

Rising from the floor Nick looked around again at the crime scene, his search was interrupted when Hank motioned him over to a nearby wall.

"Remind you of something?" Hank asked, pointing to the ancient Germanic G at the bottom of the message that was clearly written in their victim's blood.

The case from about six months ago came to mind. Ryan, a wesen that he hadn't taken the time to find in the book, had become obsessed with him and was also battling borderline personality disorder that is, the hate of what he was and the need to be a Grimm.

He would never forget that case, not only because of the bodies that were left in the wake but also because it had revealed to him a side of himself that he had tried to deny existed. He had found himself going around police procedure and preparing to go full Grimm on the man, going so much as to attempt to use a truth serum on him, consequences be damned.

Thankfully it hadn't gotten that far, but still thinking back on it now he was terrified of what could have happened if he had managed to go through with his plan.

"Ryan Smulson" he stated, the deeply, deep troubled young man's image coming to mind.

"Do think another Grimm did this or are we looking at a copycat?" Hank questioned, keeping his voice down so as to not be overheard.

Nick looked around at the destruction and blood that stained the floor around their victim.

One of the skills he had honed while working for the police station was the ability of an almost empathetic sense of the crime scenes he worked, a gut instinct if you would, and that ability had only sharpened once his Grimm attributes had been activated.

Right now his detective and Grimm instincts were twisting and sizzling with the aura of fear, violence, pain and evil that practically coated the air.

He didn't know how he knew but he just KNEW that the culprit they were looking for was not an ordinary man, nor wesen but something more powerful and full of hate.

His Grimm side almost seemed to be drawn to the powerful aura, like it was a kindred spirit. He found himself losing footing in the real world and instead traveling down the rabbit hole which led to the darkness that lay inside each soul.

"Nick?" Hank touched his partner's shoulder and grunted in pain when Nick suddenly lashed out and grabbed his hand, blunt nails digging into his skin as his partner applied pressure to the pressure points in his hand.

Keeping in the cry that wanted to erupt as the nerves in his hands screamed at him, he tried to bring Nick out of whatever place he was prisoner in.

"Nick, listen to me, it's Hank, your partner. You got to let my hand go man. There's no threat here, just calm down and release my hand" he whispered urgently, trying not to alert the other officers around them.

When Nick's hold seemed to increase Hank went to his next plan of action. Reaching out with his free hand he pinched the skin on his neck and was rewarded with an unmanly yelp along with the release of his hand.

All the officers in the room turned to look at the owner of the yelp and shared looks of confusion as Nick rubbed the sore area on his neck and looked at Hank accusingly.

"S'alright folks, I accidentally stepped on Detective Burkhardt's foot, nothing to worry about" Hank lied, a casual smile on his face to get his message of 'it's alright' across. His smile remained until all the officers had gone back to processing the scene.

When he looked back at Nick he was met with an accusing glare.

"What was that for?" he hissed, pissed at his partner and his childish antics.

Taking Nick by the arm he dragged him out of the shop and over to secluded part of the crime scene. Growing tired of being ignored Nick shook his arm off and demanded again to know what the hell was going on.

"The reason I pinched you was because you went somewhere man, I mean you were gone, almost like in the doorway except this time you were in deep. As soon as you looked at that symbol you faded out, got this intense look on your face and I swear, it was like you had exited and someone else was put in your place. When I went to touch you to try and bring you back you lashed out and gripped the pressure points in my hand, I could have done a lot worse to get you to let go but I didn't want to make a big display" he explained, subconsciously rubbing his throbbing hand.

Noticing his movements Nick looked down and a tidal wave of guilt, shock and terror washed over him as he took in the rapid discoloration of his partner's hand.

How could he have done that? All he could remember was looking at the symbol and then this feeling of darkness and want consuming him and tethering deep into his mind to shackle him to the pool of darkness.

"Hank I…I don't remember any of that. All I remember is looking at that symbol and then…darkness. I'm sorry, I-I didn't mean to" he stuttered, anxiously running a hand through his hair then turning away from his friend/partner, not feeling worthy of facing the man after what he had done.

Worry and fear clouded Hank's thought as he watched Nick go from a strong, well-minded detective/powerful, unique Grimm to a scared, guilt ridden man. Hating to see him like this he stepped forward and was about to reach out for him but thought better and instead spoke.

"It's alright Nick, we all have stressful days, todays just yours. Look, I can finish up inside if you want to go talk to the witness?" he suggested, offering Nick an out to still be on the job but to also be able to take a moment to clear his head.

Nick was tempted to turn the offer down but with one look down at Hank's bruising hand and the dark, consuming pull of the aura that showered the crime scene inside he knew that it was probably in the best interest of everyone if he stayed outside, at least until he got a better handle of himself.

Nodding in acceptance Hank gave him one last worrying look then reentered the shop. Sighing Nick turned around and located the ambulance that Sarah Jones was sitting in the back of.

As he approached the young woman he took out his notepad and pen, stopping in front of her he introduced himself.

"Hi Ms. Jones, I'm Detective Burkhardt. I know you probably want to be getting home but I just have a few more questions for you" he requested, feeling remorseful towards the young woman who's eyes were puffy and red from crying and the haunted look in her eyes.

She bit her lip and gave her consent.

"Okay, so if you can just go through the events up to finding Mr. Fitzgerald I would greatly appreciate along with any sounds, sights like a vehicle anything that comes to mind" he requested, pen poised over the paper.

"I came back to the shop at about 12:23 to get my phone that I accidentally left on a table. Even before I entered the shop I could see that the door was open and I thought that maybe someone had broken in, at first I was just going to go back to my car and call the police but I looked through the window and I saw the blood. I ran inside, terrified that Moe was hurt and that he needed help but when I finally saw him I knew that no one could help him…there was so much blood, and his head…" her voice cracked and she looked down, tears filling her eyes and traveling down her cheeks.

He felt like an asshole with the probing questions and for prolonging the anguish that she was suffering from but he had to in order to solve the crime and bring justice to her boss' murderer.

"Just a few more questions, I promise. Now, did you maybe see or hear anything? The smallest thing could help us catch who did this"

She wiped her eyes, smearing her already ruined makeup and Nick took a travel size package of tissues out of his pocket and handed them to her; it was something that he had started doing when a rather distraught and grief stricken now widow had used his shoulder as a tissue until the material was soaked with tears.

"Thank you. Honestly, I wasn't really paying attention to anything but Moe but I do remember hearing the backdoor slam, it has a very distinct creak from all the times that I accidentally slammed it while taking out the trash" she explained, wadding up a tissue and wiping off the smears of makeup on her face.

"One last question. Can you think of anyone that may have had a grudge against Mr. Fitzgerald like an unhappy customer or even an ex-employee?"

Sarah didn't take long to shake her head. "No, everyone loved him, he was a sweet, kind-hearted man. He volunteered at the soup kitchen and would donate books to under privileged children. He was like a second father to me, always giving me advice and encouraging me to go after my dreams. You know, initially he ran the store himself but when I expressed how much I loved his store and the unique literature that he had he offered me a job on the spot. I can't believe he's gone" she whimpered, looking back over at the shop and the worst opportune time when the coroner was wheeling the body and head out of the shop.

Her face ashened and she immediately looked away, her body trembling with sobs that wracked her body as she sobbed into a handful of tissues.

Nick finished his note taking and flipped the pad shut.

"Thank you for your time Ms. Jones, and if you think of anything else please call me at this number" he took out a card with his work number/cell then motioned over an officer.

After telling the officer to take Ms. Jones home he hesitantly walked back into the shop, the pull of the evil entity still there but now that he was expecting it he had a better handle on himself.

Walking through the destruction he finally located Hank in the back investigating the hallway where plaster dusted the floor along with a destroyed cell phone and an aluminum bat.

Hank looked up from the phone and met his gaze.

"Did the witness tell you anything useful?" he asked, rising from the floor.

"Yeah, apparently Mr. Fitzgerald was an all-around compassionate/giving man who everyone liked so no enemies were named. She also said that when she found the body she heard the creaking and slamming of the back door, most likely our perp. running away when he saw her pulling up" Nick summed up.

Hank frowned, "well then either Mr. Fitzgerald did some have enemies, this was a robbery gone wrong or it's something else entirely. By the way, we had a tech open the case in the office, the lock didn't seem to be messed with but we won't know for sure if any money was taken until we look at the surveillance videos which should be up and running now"

"Lead the way"

Following Hank into the office area they met the tech. who had hacked into the security feed and had the video up and ready to play.

Seeing that the two detectives were waiting on him the tech. began.

"I've forwarded through to the time of the break in, unfortunately the video doesn't have sound, is in black and white but the quality is pretty good" he explained.

Pressing play Nick and Hank crowded around the small computer space.

The three watched as their victim turned the lights to the shop off and double bolted the front door before turning and walking into the back of the shop, likely to his small sleeping area.

"I'm going to fast forward a little" the tech. said.

The time stamp at the bottom quickly forwarded in time until slowing down and playing at 12:20 AM.

They watched as a shadow appeared outside the window and soon the bolts on the door were expertly unlatched using a technique that spoke of experience. The door opened and a person in complete black attire entered the shop, their face covered in darkness due to the large hood that they wore and the cover of darkness, which they were using to their advantage along with just enough bagginess of their clothing that it was hard to discern their gender.

The intruder walked right past the cash register, not even giving it a second glance which told them right away that this had likely not been a robbery. The person then walked around the shop, randomly picking up books and leafing through them, which Nick and Hank took note of and catalogued them in their mind so that they could dust the items for prints

One minute into the video the intruder then picked up a rather heavy looking book then held it out and loosened her grip, allowing the book to fall and collide with the floor.

Events escalated from there.

The intruder disappeared from view for a few seconds before suddenly their victim was literally thrown into the scene and into a bookshelf that promptly fell down and a display collapsed onto his legs, trapping him, condemning him to death.

Nick watched as the killer squatted down in front of their victim, who seemed to be saying something, likely pleading with them and he was only mildly surprised when his face woge into a wesen that resembled what looked to be a groundhog of sorts.

It seemed like 90% of his cases since discovering his Grimm heritage had been wesen centered and he sometimes found himself wondering back to all his older cases, how many of the criminals he had arrested were wesen? How many of them had had extenuating circumstances, like 'instincts' that had led to the crimes that had been committed?

In the blink of an eye the killer had procured an ax and in one swift move rammed the blade of the ax into their victim's neck, blood spraying across their victim's clothing and spattering the wall and ceiling with arterial spray.

The spike of pleasure that the violent kill displayed shot through Nick like a speeding bullet and he actually gasped aloud, his pupils dilating as he took an involuntary step back, his heart racing in his chest and his breath speeding up slightly.

Hank, at hearing the gasp looked away from the screen to Nick who he could see was in the middle of some kind of panic attack.

"Nick, you okay?" the events from earlier came to mind and Hank's concern for his partner intensified. He didn't know what was going on with Nick, whether it was Grimm related or stress but he did know that it was greatly distressing him and that was all he needed to know that whatever was going on needed to be taken care of.

The tech had stopped the video and was looking at Nick as well, wondering what had set the detective off.

Nick took a shaky breath and looked down at the floor before meeting Hank's gaze, feeling the eyes of the tech on him as well which sent a wave of embarrassment through him.

"Yeah, just haven't been getting enough sleep lately and thought I saw something but I was mistaken" he repeated the same lie from earlier, embellishing it a little at the end but he knew that Hank knew he was lying again.

Hank did see through the lie, especially since it was the same lie from earlier but he also like earlier discussing this with Nick right now wouldn't be wise, not with so many people around that could overhear and either think their crazy and report them to the station psychologist or freak out when they discovered that Nick was a Grimm. Either way, the outcome would likely be bad.

"All right, Tim you can continue the video" Hank said to the tech.

Nick was silent as the killer coated their fingers in the victim's blood then rose from the floor and walked over to a wall. His Adam's apple bobbed up and down as they wrote out a message in the foreign language.

Seconds later a light illuminated the shop and their killer fled the scene, which was soon taken by Sarah Jones as she discovered the body of her boss.

The tech. stopped the video and looked up at them.

"The rest is just her calling the police and us showing up" he explained.

Hank nodded then instructed the tech. to copy all the videos and send them to his computer after receiving acknowledgement the detectives left the room and walked down the hallway towards the door that Sarah had described.

With his gloves still on Nick turned the knob, the door squeaking just like Sarah had said and, sharing a look Hank raised his gun and as soon as the door was open enough popped out and surveyed the alley with Nick following behind.

The alley was empty, trash cans, graffiti and a chain link fence was the backdrop for an atypical city alley.

Lowering their weapons they stepped forward and looked around for anything that the killer may have left behind, but as to be expected in a situation like this there wasn't anything obvious so they would definitely have to send out the CSUs to get a closer look.

"So tell me what's really going on Nick, and don't give me that crap from earlier, I'm your partner, you can trust me" he implored, now a good a time as any for his questioning.

Nick was a little taken aback by the abrupt question but he shouldn't have been, Hank knew an opportunity when he saw one and right now in an alley with no one else around was a perfect situation.

Since Hank had been introduced to the wesen world he had been asking questions non-stop and was very enthusiastic about learning about all the types of wesen that there were and past cases that had involved wesen. But Nick was also finding that Hank's induction also meant that he would have to answer questions that weren't easy to explain, such as the times where Nick lost himself to what one could call 'instinct' and he was finding that in those times it was as if he became someone else.

And that scared him.

He had just hurt Hank when he had been in one of his 'episodes' brought on by a feeling that should have disgusted him but in reality he had wanted more of it, to be closer to the darkness and power that the owner had.

Telling all this to Hank was terrifying, because it went against everything that he had original told him and his friends about the type of Grimm that he was and was trying to be. Now he found himself pulled towards darkness and longing for more, but that wasn't him, it wasn't supposed to be him.

Nick had gone somewhere else again, and though past experience was telling him to do otherwise he crept closer to the man and tried to get his attention.

"Nick, c'mon man, don't leave me again. We need to talk about this" he insisted, looking deep into his faraway gray eyes.

Coming back into his right mind Nick met Hank's concerned gaze, a look that was becoming all too frequent in the last hour. He had heard his question, as incredible as that was, and he found his mouth moving before he knew how to sew it shut.

"There's darkness coating every fleck of air in that shop Hank, before I even entered the shop I could feel it crawling under my skin, digging into my every molecule and the scariest part of it all, is that I LIKED it, I wanted more, hell I still do! What does that say about me?" he looked at his partner desperately, praying like a crazed lunatic that Hank would give him an answer that was as proportional as the answer to the meaning of life.

Seeing that Nick was in a desperate/panicked state Hank knew that he had better say or do something now or else Nick was sure to go off on another rant and this time could possibly attract the attention of the other officers.

"You're not like your ancestors Nick, you haven't killed any wesen unless you had no other choice, and you are not evil. You haven't gotten a full night's sleep in days, you have bags under your eyes, which are almost bloodshot so of course you're to going to be prone to crazy thoughts. Just a few hours ago when we were filing those reports I had the weirdest longing to take my gun and shoot the hell out of those papers then just walk out, but I didn't"

That wasn't even close to what Nick was going through though, Hank's was a feeling that practically everyone in the department had probably dreamed about, and anyone who worked in a cubicle. Hank had the right of mind and will power to not go through with that fantasy. Nick's on the other hand was more along the lines of something that a serial killer would want to do and in more cases than not, those people usually followed out those fantasies.

In the place of Hank it would have been him and instead of shooting the hell out of reports he would have been shooting hole after hole into an innocent wesen who hadn't done anything wrong except not being fast enough.

He had to get out here, he couldn't trust himself to be around Hank right now or else if he lost it again he could seriously hurt Hank.

"Look, I'm going to go back to the station and look into our victim, see if he really was as clean as our witness says" before Hank could object Nick turned and walked away, choosing to tune out the words that Hank called after him.

He just had to get away.

~GRIMM~

The hooded figure crossed the dark, quiet street into the ominous and nightmare composing forest. Branches and leaves brushed and traced their arms as they walked, their steps being muffled by the mossy and dirt packed floor, but animals could still sense the danger that this person was and scattered in all directions.

Stopping in place beneath a ceiling of lush leaves that created a portrait around the moon, they took out a compass attached to a short metal chain and laid it flat in their glove clad hand.

The needle spun around until it bobbed to a stop pointing in the direction of North, turning slightly the needle swayed and bobbed again until coming to a stop in the direction of 3 degrees east.

With the compass still in hand they followed the arrow and didn't stop nor slow down until they looked through the patched covering of bushes and saw a large bonfire up ahead.

Pocketing the compass the figure walked ahead and through the brush and out into the opening that the bonfire was thriving in.

People dressed in similar black attire as the individual, but many were not wearing coats were scattered everywhere. There was about 30 in all and all were engaged in either training exercises or cleaning and sharpening weapons.

There was one individual though that was just sitting on a large stump in front of the fire, her eyes filled with the sparking flames of the fire.

On instinct she looked up and met the hidden gaze of the returned individual. Her face was marred with the hardships of the life she led and carved into the left side of her face, next to her eye, was a reminder of a betrayal that she would never get revenge for. Rising from the stump she walked around the crackling fire and approached them, meeting them halfway in the opening.

"Have you completed your assignment?" she asked, her voice and expression cold and intimidating.

The figure nodded and retrieved the ax and bloody rag from their bag.

Eyes alight with satisfaction she took the two items and examined them.

Signaling with the hand that held the ax another black clad person hurried to her side, holding a bowl of what looked to be water but was actually something much more potent.

With the bowl in the person's hand the woman dipped the blade into the liquid and as soon as the blade slipped through the surface the liquid started to bubble then turn dark blue.

The smile on the woman's face increased and she handed the ax over as well.

"Be sure to add this to the collection" she ordered.

On receiving a nod she ushered them away and turned back to face the person before them.

"So you have, this is most excellent. You are ready for the next step. Kneel" she ordered, her eyes hard and purposeful.

Eagerly but with grace the individual kneeled down and lowered their head, holding their breath in anticipation.

"Pentru jertfa de nevinovăţie şi de delestare sange, AM tine bun venit clanul nostrum" She recited, her index finger smearing with blood as she spoke.

At the last word the hooded individual looked up and pulled down their hood, revealing a young woman who looked to be no older than 20, her hair a fine blond, skin a delicate ivory and eyes that were a mossy green but yet looked to be infected with insects of evil.

Raising her finger she pressed the bloody digit against the girl's forehead and traced out an Ancient German G. A small drop of blood dripped down from the tail of the G and raced down her forehead and came to a rest at the bridge of her nose.

"Rise"

Rising from the ground the young woman nodded in respect at her leader, ready to do what she had been born and trained for.

The war was coming, and the prize was a certain Grimm.

**A/N: I hope you liked this update, I left a few clues in this story so hopefully you caught them all. Also, as you can see I'm going to be messing around with Grimm characteristics so yes, I am aware that some of the things I write are not accurate to the show. **

**Please review, they are like a nice refreshing glass of strawberry lemonade.**


	3. for deep inside there is a beast

**Hi, sorry this update took so long I have been having some trouble writing down what I want to happen next. Anyway I hope you enjoy this update!**

**By the way,**

**Disclaimer: I do not own GRIMM, any of its characters, dialogue etc. I am merely borrowing them.**

**Also, Monroe makes a short appearance in this chapter.**

Nick had just finished going over their victim's records and hadn't found a single thread of evidence that the man had been anything less than a law abiding citizen of Portland, Oregon; which was a good sign for the society as a whole but not so good for their investigation.

The only link of any possibility was a break-in that their victim had reported five months ago. The suspect, Alec Harrison was arrested for the theft of $508 from the safe in the office and property damage. He was currently serving 4 years since it was his second offense at Columbia County lockup.

Bringing up the arrest record he scrawled through the information until he came to the list of next of kin. Harrison had two older brothers, Mathias and Benjamin who also had criminal records but for car theft and credit card scams.

Maybe it was a revenge killing? But somewhere in the back of his mind disagreed; this killing had been about something else. The way that Martin Fitzgerald had been killed and the extreme lack of evidence spoke of an experienced killer, something that neither of the brothers appeared to be.

But it was the only lead he had so he had printed out the information.

Currently he was sitting at his desk going over the crime scene photos, his eyes scanning the photos for anything that stood out, but so far he was getting nothing.

When he came to the bloody message on the wall he leaned back in his chair and traced each letter with his mind, imprinting it to memory. He didn't recognize the language but then again he wasn't very fluent in a lot of languages.

Now that he was away from the crime scene the feeling from earlier had faded away to nothing more than a bothersome headache but looking at the photos brought back that familiar longing and pleasure again so he looked away. Feeling tainted for just allowing those emotions to resurface.

What was happening to him?

No longer able to handle looking at the photos he exited out of the file and went to Martin Fitzgerald's personal file.

His next of kin was listed as Sarah Jones, his employee, and from what Nick could see that was likely due to the close bond the two shared and his lack of children or a spouse along with being an only child.

Shutting the file he rubbed his eyes then looked over at the time on his computer. 2:30. was that really all the time that had passed? It felt like hours had gone by.

God he needed to sleep. But he was afraid to close his eyes because every time he did he would see that symbol and the lust inside him would rise and give way to other images that were dark and filled with blood.

Deciding that he needed to take a moment to clear his thoughts he picked up a pad of paper and a pen and started to draw.

He wasn't drawing anything specific, just letting his mind concentrate on the lines and curves that were randomly taking form and the darkness of the shading.

But just as he didn't want to do his mind in avertedly went back to the gruesome crime scene. The way the blood seeped into the hardwood floor, the cracking of glass with each step taken, and the horrified glazed over eyes of their victim. Soon it wasn't just images that he was recollecting but also the smell of copper, dust and if he searched deep enough he could almost make out the putrid smell of fear; not from their perpetrator, no they had no fear, but from the victim as they looked their mortality in the eyes and blinked.

His pen dug harshly into the paper, furiously drawing out jagged lines and shadowing that spoke of great distress and frustration. It was when the pressure he was exerting on the fragile writing tool became too great that the pen actually snapped in half, coating his hand, spattering the paper and along with his desk in blue ink.

The action brought him back and he looked down in surprise at the blue mess that his hand had become and the mess that he had created.

Cursing he was about to rise and get some wet paper towels to clean up when he saw the image that he had drawn, not just once but multiple times all over the paper, it was the Ancient Germanic G from the crime scene.

With shaking hands he picked the slightly damp paper up, the fallen ink dribbling down and making a further mess of his desk but he didn't notice.

Looking at the symbol once more the familiar longing returned but it was quickly followed by rage, rage that this symbol would invoke such monstrous thoughts in his mind and the history that this single letter held.

A scowl dominated his features as he tightly crumpled and flattened the paper, more blue ink staining his hand as he did so. Dropping the ruined paper back into his wastebasket he rose from his desk, however, instead of going to retrieve wet paper towels like he had originally intended he found his feet leading him towards the bathroom.

When he entered the bathroom he was grateful to find that it appeared to be empty, he really didn't want to deal with explanations, at least not yet.

Walking to the nearest sink he turned the faucet on and adjusted the temperature to luke warm and dipped his ink stained hands under the flow. The water became a light blue as it swirled down the drain.

Going through the motions he pressed out a generous amount of soap and attempted to get all the ink off that he could.

He vigorously scrubbed at his hands until they were raw and on the verge of bleeding before pulling his nearly red hands out and gripping the countertop, his head hung low.

Leaving the water going the temperature went up and was soon scolding hot, steam rising from the sink and rising into the air, fogging the mirror which held his reflection, the image becoming fogged as well; much like he was starting to feel.

Turning the faucet off, his hand almost burned from the hot temperature of the handle, he then used his arm to wipe off the condensation on the mirror, the image still fuzzy but clearer. He wished it was that easy to fix his perception.

The bags under his eyes were prominent, so prominent that it looked like his face was trying to sink in on itself. His eyes themselves were bloodshot and riddled with the darkness that he was battling. Along with that his skin was deathly pale and resembled a corpse more than a living human being.

In short, he looked like crap.

Exhaling he waited a few seconds then turned the faucet all the way to cold and dipped his hands in, hissing at the glacially cold water. Cupping his hands he brought his head down and splashed the focusing water onto his face, giving him the kick back into wakefulness. He turned the faucet off again this time for good then pushed himself away from the counter and ripped out a few paper towels, drenched them in water and walked out of the room and back to his desk.

As he walked back to his desk he ran into Wu who was holding a file and quickly took notice of his state, particularly that of his blue hand.

"Whoa, what happened to you? Did you squeeze a Smurf to death?" he joked, his usual blank expression on his face as he delivered.

Instead of responding Nick ignored him and continued on his way, not noticing the raised eyebrows he received from Wu in confusion/worry.

Arriving at his desk he found that at some point during his trip Hank had returned and was going over something at his own desk. Of course, every once in a while looking over at Nick's in curiosity about the ink bomb that had gone off.

Seeing that his partner had returned Hank got up from his desk and took a few steps to greet Nick, his eyes of course, like Wu, quickly zeroing in on the blue hand. He wanted to ask what happened but by the almost dead look in his partner's eyes he knew that it was best to just let it go.

"CSUs didn't find any evidence in the alley, but there were security cameras that were pointed towards the shop and alley from other stores so I have a CSU tech. compiling those; hopefully we got something on that. Did you find anything in our victim's record?" he asked, keeping the conversation strictly formal.

With the way Nick had been jumping at the smallest sound or interaction and the obvious lack of sleep he figured it was for the best.

"No, he doesn't have a criminal record so either he's never been caught or he was genuinely a law-abiding citizen. He doesn't have any living relatives so it's not a family connection, but I did manage to find a past break-in that he reported five months ago. The suspect, Alec Harrison was arrested and is currently serving 4 years at Columbia County Lockup, so it can't be him but he's got two brothers who have records for car theft and credit card scams" he finished.

Throwing the damp and ink stained paper towels away he wiped his hands off on his jeans then sat down in his chair.

"Murder is a long way from car theft and credit scams" Hank commented, reading through the files on Alec and his brothers that Nick had handed him.

Nick nodded his head in agreement, having had similar thoughts earlier.

"But they're the only suspects we have right now and there's something else that I forgot to mention…our victim was wesen" he lowered his voice at the end, not wanting to be overheard.

Hank's eyes widened slightly in surprise, but he really shouldn't be considering all the other cases they had been working recently. It seemed like more than half their cases had had wesen involved to a point.

"Do you know what kind?" he inquired.

"No, he woged into something that looked like a groundhog and I've never seen one before so I'm going to have consult the books and likely Monroe" Nick explained, planning on looking at this as a possible wesen reason.

Hank nodded, "well how about we go check out the two brothers, seeing as how they're roommates it shouldn't be too hard to find out what they've been up to" clapping Nick on the shoulder the two detectives left the station and drove to the address that was recorded on their records.

**~GRIMM~**

On the other side of town Jennifer Miller was getting ready for work, her nursing uniform was on and she had just gotten off the phone with her boyfriend who was coming to pick her up in an hour.

The timer on the stove went off and she went over and turned it and the stove off then picked up a ladle and spooned out two scoops of granny smith apple oatmeal sprinkled with cinnamon sugar.

Inhaling the aroma she smiled and walked over to her small dining room table, her glass of orange juice waiting for her along with the morning crossword puzzle.

Just as she was about to tuck into her breakfast and start her daily crossword her doorbell rings.

Not expecting company, at least for another hour, she rises from her chair and walks towards the door, a distorted figure visible through the stained glass windows that adorned the door.

Unlocking the lock and deadbolt she opened the door and was greeted by the sight of a young man, looking to be in his late teens standing there with a charming smile on his face, which was curiously outfitted with a pair of dark sunglasses.

This was odd because the sun was only just starting to come up.

Warning bells were going off in her mind, warning her that something was very wrong here and that she should close and lock her door now.

But curiosity had always been a potential character flaw of hers and right now that flaw was gnawing at her to take a closer look at this stranger.

"Yes?" she asked, keeping the door partially closed and only part of her head sticking out.

The charming smile remained on his face, "hi, I'm sorry to bother you but I'm trying to find Briars Street. I've been driving around for about an hour now and I'm completely lost, could you help me out?" he laughed.

"Yeah sure, you just drive up the street here towards Myers Lane then turn left once you reach the Andy's market then keep driving straight and you'll be there" she was about to close the door but was startled when he stuck his foot in the door, preventing her speedy retreat.

"Sorry to bother you more but I have the worst memory, would you maybe write it down for me?" he asked, his smile now becoming a little too bright.

Her heart rate accelerated and the danger vibe she was getting off this man was becoming so tense that she lost control and wuge into a reinigen.

"I'm sorry but I'm busy getting ready for work but I'm sure someone down at Andy's market will glad to help you" the store wasn't even open but she didn't want to talk to this man any longer.

Not caring about the teen's foot she tried to pull the door closed, in an attempt to force his shoe out from the doorway but she was not prepared for the blow that was dealt to her exposed face.

In an insanely clear moment she only just noticed as his fist met her face that he was wearing black gloves. It wasn't cold outside and there was no need for sunglasses. Her mind put together in only a length of a millisecond where she put together that this man had planned this.

Stumbling backwards into her house, blood flowing from her broken nose she lost her balance and fell to the floor. The teen slammed the door closed and stalked towards her, removing his glasses as he went and taking out a shining ax.

Eyes widening in fear she tried to push herself up from the floor but cried out in pain when he stomped down on her ankle, grounding down on it until she was sure that he had broken her ankle.

Tears streamed down her face, mixing with the blood that was continuing to flow from her bruising and swelling nose.

He merely wiped the running the blood off his lips, removing his glasses and pocketing them. Looking down at her with malice.

It was then she looked into his eyes and she knew in that instant, that she was going to die.

He was a Grimm.

Flight instincts kicking in she tried to crawl away, her movements smearing the blood as she tried to get as much distance between her and the Grimm.

She screamed in terror and denial as he grabbed her ankles and pulled her back to him, her broken ankle throbbing in his hands as he dragged her down the hallway and into the kitchen where he dropped her ankles then proceeded to kick her repeatedly in the ribs until she felt fluid filling up at the back of her throat and she started to cough up blood.

It was only a small blessing when he stopped kicking her but that blessing was turned into a curse as she watched him kneel down to her level once more and raised the ax.

Her body was frozen in fear, she couldn't move so much a finger. Reinigen weren't fighters, they didn't seek out battles, they ran and when met with confrontation the only action they could manage was to flee in the opposite direction. That method had failed her, and now she was going to die at the hands of a Grimm.

The ax came down and severed the arteries in her neck, the arterial spray fizzing out of her like a fountain, the blow did not kill her immediately but the blood that was quickly filling her airways was drowning her and in her last moments she watched as he raised the ax back one more time then delivered the blow that chopped her head off entirely.

All functions and thoughts ceased.

Staring down at the dead Reinigen he smiled in satisfaction then leaned down and coated his gloved hand in blood and walked over to the right side wall in the hallway.

The message he wrote was the exactly the same as the one in Moe's bookshop, along with the ancient Germanic G that was added at the bottom.

He then calmly washed the blood off his face, gloves and clothes the best he could at the sink then walked out of the house and out of the still slumbering neighborhood.

It would be an hour later that Jennifer Miller's boyfriend arrived and discovered the horrific scene.

**~GRIMM~**

Hank and Nick pulled up in front of the brother's home; the house was really just a small shack like structure that had two vehicles stationed out front, one a beat up red truck the other a rundown jeep. The finishing touches was the nearly dead grass that was straw yellow and a rusty mailbox that was missing its flag.

"I like what they've done with the place" Hank sarcastically commented as they walked up the small hill to the house, the grass crunching and flaking off with each step.

Stepping up onto the porch the whole structure seemed to groan, wheezing at their combined weight on the ancient supports.

They shared a look, one that spoke of disbelief and amusement.

Reaching out Hank rapped on the side of the fraying screen door, the hollow sound echoing along the remains of the building.

"Who is it?" a male voice demanded, likely one of the brothers. The voice was coated in distrust and malice, years of being a criminal making them wary of any unexpected 'guests'.

"Detectives Hank Griffin and Nick Burckhardt with Portland PD, would you mind coming to the door sir?" Hank responded, looking into the dark house to try and see the inhabitants.

A loud curse was hissed and the sound of objects falling to the ground, shoes scuffing the floor and the slamming of a door was heard, which meant that just like millions before them, they were running.

No longer needing an invitation Nick, with gun in hand, kicked the flimsy door down and sped inside with Hank running behind him, brandishing his own weapon.

They ran through the house and out the back door, arriving just in time to see the two brothers jumping over a short metal fence and making a mad dash through their neighbor's yard, one brother continuing forward and the other splitting off for the street, Hank and Nick mentally synced and split off.

Nick continued the chase, leaping over the fence in one bound and quickly regaining his footing as he blurred across the lawn in the same direction the perp. had gone. He was gaining ground quickly, and he could almost make out the hairs on the back of the guy's neck.

"Freeze, Police!" he shouted, in a vain attempt to get him to stop, which they never did.

His breathing and heart rate had barely changed and his muscles were singing in praise at the adrenaline that fueled his actions. The Grimm inside him was jolting in aggression and the thrill of the chase, the darkness that sided it was also the high of the coming kill.

Putting all of his strength into the soles of his feet he pounced onto the perp.'s back and they both tumbled to the ground, grunts of pain from the perp. and grass, leaves and rocks were kicked up into the air as Nick fought to gain control over the flailing man in his arms.

It was during the fight that the man actually met his gaze for more than a second and he immediately stilled, his eyes wide in terror. As usual the response to him was for the man to woge into a Jagerbar.

"Grimm" he roared, his efforts to get away increased and he tried to claw at Nick's arms and face with his elongated claws but Nick grabbed his arms and twisted them until he cried out and arched his back in pain.

The Grimm in him responded to the fear that he saw in his eyes and its hunger increased, wanting blood, wanting the jagerbar's head on a stick with blood dripping in rivulets down to the ground.

Something in him, something that knew between right and wrong, shut down and Nick found himself giving in to the urges that his inner Grimm was hungering for.

The jagerbar could tell the moment the switch flipped because Nick's eyes became hollow and he knew in that moment that he was going to die.

Releasing one of his prey's arm's he was about to pull his arm back and deliver the first of many brutal blows to the wesen's face but was stopped and whipped back into reality by the firm grasp of Hank's hand around his wrist.

Seeing that Nick had come back to himself Hank released his hand and watched as Nick turned back to their perp. and flipped him over onto his stomach and slapped his cuffs on the man and hauled him up from the floor.

"You're under arrest for evading police" he growled.

"I caught the brother. He's in the backseat of the car. Want me to take him off your hands?" Hank offered, seeing the adrenaline that was still coursing through his partner.

Nick shook his head, "no, I got it" tugging the man forward Nick led him out of the neighbor's yard and back to Hank's car where the other brother was sitting in the car, a glare dominating his features as the two detectives approached the vehicle with his brother in cuffs.

Hearing the beep of the lock unlocking Nick yanked the door open, almost a little too hard and was in danger of ripping off its hinges.

He none too gently forced the jagerbar into the back of the car and slammed the door shut. He purposely kept his back to Hank as he took a moment to try and cool down before getting in the car.

"You okay man?" Hank asked, watching his partner and friend suffer silently.

It took a few moments before Nick was able to answer, his mouth set in a grimace as he thought over what he had been about to do the jagerbar. He had wanted to kill him, sate his thirst for blood and that had terrified him, just as if not more than with what had happened at the crime scene.

He needed to get his mind under control. He couldn't afford to lose it, for his sanity, his consciousness and the safety of those around him.

"Ask me in an hour" he responded, not able to articulate how he was really feeling, not yet anyway.

Accepting the answer Hank walked around to the driver's side and got inside, Nick following his example and climbing into the passenger's seat.

The ride back to the station was spent in silence.

**~GRIMM~**

The two detectives were leading the two brothers towards separate interrogation rooms, planning on questioning them until the one flipped but were stopped by Wu who looked to be on his way out.

"You guys might want to lighten your load, we got another one"

"What? Where?" Nick asked, gut clenching in dread.

Hank pawed off the two brothers to a passing officer and told him to take them down to a holding cell.

"A residence: 1015 Wilbur Avenue. From what I got so far, the victim is a young woman" having relayed all the information he had he walked away.

Changing directions they headed for Hank's car.

"Do you think the brothers did this before we got to them?" Hank questioned, keeping in step with Nick as they jogged down the stairs.

"It's possible, could explain why they ran when they found out we were cops" Nick offered. Not that deep down though, Nick knew that the case wouldn't be this easy to solve.

"Or they did something else and we're barking up the wrong tree" Hank added, hoping that they had truly caught the guys. But knowing their luck this case was far from over.

**~GRIMM~**

The young man dressed in casual black jeans, a gray t-shirt, black biker boots, a leather jacket and donning a pair of black gloves and sunglasses along with a messenger bag slapping against his thigh, jogged across the road and into a familiar forest.

The morning sun peaked through the full branches and collection of leaves which created a natural disco ball effect on the lush ground covering.

Going by memory and instinct he walked past the several moss encased trees, bushes and panicked animals that could sense the evil he was capable of.

Brushing the bushes aside he stepped over the threshold and entered the camp where the rest of his clan was waiting for him. All eyes moved to him as he approached their leader who was waiting for him by a boiling pot of oatmeal.

She didn't look up as he approached, continuing to stir the oatmeal in the pot.

"It's done" he stated, taking out the bloody ax and rag, presenting them to her.

Stopping her stirring she set the wooden spoon aside and looked up at him, eyeing the objects in his hand.

"Were you seen?" she demanded, her eyes steely black and her voice cold.

"No, I made sure of it" he swore, knowing and accepting what would happen to him if he had failed her in any way.

Taking his word and knowing that he wouldn't dare lie to her, she picked up a bowl filled with a clear liquid concoction and took the ax from his outstretched hand then, dipping the blade into the liquid the water turned a dark blue.

"Excellent" she handed the ax over to the young woman who was seated beside her, and she hurried off, adding another piece to the collection.

Instructing him to kneel she repeated the same phrase from earlier along with the marking of the Ancient Germanic G in the blood of the wesen who's life he had taken.

After the ritual was over she sent him away with an order to bring her Alec.

**~GRIMM~**

Entering the house Nick and Hank walked around the CSUs in the cramped hallway who were photographing and analyzing the scene, their eyes stopping when they came to the bloody message on the wall.

"Same message as the other scene, we really need to get a translation on this thing" Hank commented, going through his mind as to who could be a possible candidate.

The tugging of his Grimm instincts was trying to bubble to the surface, to revel in the violence that coated the aura of the home, but he grinded the urges down, not allowing a repeat of what had happened earlier.

"Yeah, how about we check out the body" it was meant to be a suggestion but instead it came out as a statement and he turned away from the enticing message and entered the kitchen to look over the remains.

This one was just as gruesome as the last. Her head had been completely severed from her body and was lying on its side a few feet away, blood smeared in a line from the rolling that occurred after it had been decapitated.

The blood that was still slowly trickling from the body was filling the air with its coppery scent, arousing the Grimm in him to take a closer look at the artwork that lay before him. Whoever this artist was, the Grimm was a fan.

Crouching down beside the body Nick couldn't help himself as he reached out and was about to touch the glistening blood but was suddenly stopped by Hank who had noticed his movements and had pulled him back up, not wanting him to risk contaminating evidence.

"What are you doing? Contaminating evidence is a rookie mistake, especially blood. C'mon, let's talk to the boyfriend" Hank tried to physically lead Nick away from the body but Nick tugged himself free, taking a step away from his partner who was looking at him with both concern and tiredness.

His eyes tried to keep going back to the gruesome remains of their victim but he forced himself to only look at the hardwood floor, following all the lines that separated each individual board.

"Actually I'm going to head back to the station and try to get that message translated" not waiting for his response Nick strode past his partner and out of the house.

Walking down the short path to the end of the front lawn Nick's instincts were churning within him, the feeling that prey was near was so strong that he couldn't fight the compulsion to turn his head and be in just time to see the victim's boyfriend woge into a Fuschbau.

Without his permission his legs started to walk towards the wesen, his hand sliding over to his holstered gun.

Just as he was about to pull his weapon out and shoot the Fuscbau point blank, witnesses be damned, he could just kill them all and be done with it, his cell phone rang.

And with that reality check Nick grounded his feet into the grass and pulled his hand away from his holster and retrieved his ringing phone from his jacket pocket.

Looking at the caller ID Nick was extremely relieved to see that it was Monroe.

"Monroe?" his voice was raspy, his emotions at a boiling point concerning what he had been about to do.

The other line was silent for a moment before Monroe spoke.

"Nick? Are you okay? You sound weird. Is something going on?" he asked, concerned for his best friend.

Nick couldn't help the dark chuckle that escaped him, "oh yeah, yeah everything's fine. Listen um, I'm working a case right now, one that's similar to that case we worked about 5 months ago, the Ryan Smulson case" he added, turning his body around and walking in the opposite direction.

Seeing as he hadn't driven here he was lucky that the station wasn't too far on foot from here.

"Of course I remember! How could I forget? I had nightmares for weeks that an Endezeichen Grimm was going to come and cut my head my off" he responded, leaning back in the chair he was sitting in.

At his words Nick involuntarily flinched, the name singing to his Grimm instincts.

"Someone is going around killing wesen and leaving a message in blood in some language that I can't read along with an Ancient Germanic G" he relayed, his nerves close to frying with all the emotions that were coursing through him.

Monroe's throat went desert dry, his eyes widening in shock and fear of the implications this could mean. He swallowed a few times in an attempt to bring some moisture back to his throat before speaking.

"Are you sure this isn't just a copycat? I mean…are really sure?"

Nick was afraid to tell him how sure he was. If he told him that he knew because his Grimm was keening and demanding to get closer to the evil that had perpetrated these horrific crimes he knew that Monroe would never look at him the same way again.

He himself didn't.

"Yeah, I am. Look I got to go but I'll come by your place tonight at about 8" Nick decided, not feeling like it was the smartest idea to be talking about this out in the open.

"Okay Nick, I'll see you tonight…are you sure you're okay?" he had to ask again, give Nick one last chance to come clean about what was really going on with him. He could hear the whirlwind of emotions that Nick was trying to keep a lid on through the line. That was how bad he sounded.

Nick hesitated a moment before he replied, a second of hope that maybe Monroe could shed light on the darkness that was slowly but surely consuming him. But that was snuffed out when he recalled the way the man was sure to feel, he would never tell him to his face that he was afraid of him but there would be no denying the terror he was sure to show in his eyes.

"I'm fine, just concerned that this will be a threat that not everyone is going to walk away from" he admitted, and he wasn't just talking about lives but his own soul as well.

"Okay, I'll see you tonight. Do you want me to call Rosalee?" he asked.

"No, not yet anyway, not until we're sure that we really are dealing with one" he answered, feeling bad enough that he was involving Monroe on this one, he didn't want his best friend getting hurt or worse, killed because of him.

"See you then"

"Bye"

Both hung up and Nick continued the walk to the station in silence, trying to get a hold on the Grimm that was trying to reach out and grind his human soul to ash.

**A/N: So, what did you guys think? I'm not as happy with this one as the last but I hope that you enjoyed it. Please review, I really love to check my account and see new reviews, as sad as it is it really does make my day.**

**BTW Sean will be in the next chapter, so think about that along with the fact that I only feel motivated to write more when I get reviews. **


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